


Fated to Be Together

by exosted



Category: Thai Actor RPF, brightwin - Fandom, เพราะเราคู่กัน | 2gether: The Series (Thailand TV) RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Comedy, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Romance, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:29:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28427826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exosted/pseuds/exosted
Summary: Who would’ve thought that beer, unfair labor, and a stuck up rich kid were all it took to change Win’s life?
Relationships: Bright Vachirawit Chivaaree/Win Metawin Opas-iamkajorn
Comments: 11
Kudos: 65





	Fated to Be Together

The first time Win met Bright was in a dingy club in the seedy part of town. It was a Friday night and the place was packed with horny, excitable college students. Pitbull was playing nonstop, urging everyone to vibe and dance like there was no tomorrow. The dance floor was full of sweaty, writhing bodies, making it hard for Win to walk past anyone without accidentally spilling the drinks he was carrying on them.

“Excuse me, excuse me!” Win tried shouting over the noise. He towered over everyone easily, sure, but it didn’t make it any easier for him to weave through the crowd. There were just too many of them.

“Fuck, tonight is packed as hell. What is going on?” Win complained as he reached the bar, his waiting outfit already soaked through with sweat.

Mike, the bartender in charge that night and also his friend, shrugged. “The colleges in this area begin classes next week. Maybe these kids are getting in all the partying they can get before the semester starts.”

Win groaned, scratching at his forehead in annoyance. “You’re right, fuck. How could I forget? Mine starts next week too, but do you see me getting wasted in a bar? No.”

Mike chuckled, playfully raising an eyebrow at his antics. “But you’re _in_ a bar, no?”

Win gave him a nasty look. “I actually have to be here. You know, because this is my _job._ ”

Mike laughed again, shaking his head as he slid a glass of liquor his way. “You shouldn’t be drinking while on the clock, but you look like you need this. It’s on the house.” Then he winked at him before moving towards the other end of the bar where a drunk customer was yelling for another round of vodka.

Win sighed and took a sip of the dark liquid. He wrinkled his nose as the taste of rum and coke landed on his tongue. It was going to be a long night.

  
  
  


It was half past midnight when Win’s coordination skills finally gave up on him. He was tired and the crowd still hadn't thinned. He has been running around bringing drinks to partygoers for four hours now. It was almost expected that he’d mess up one way or another. He just didn’t know that his body picked the worst person possible to accidentally spill a drink on.

He was supposed to bring six stiff drinks to a table at the far end of the bar when someone ran past him. Trying to avoid the collision, he twisted sideways--only to lose balance and immediately spill at least half a glass’ worth of liquor on someone. Understandably, he was livid.

“What the FUCK?”

Win’s eyes widened as he immediately straightened up and moved away from where the group was seated. A fellow waiter swooped in and took the serving tray away from him. The guy he accidentally spilled a drink on was drenched from his hair down to his torso. He looked like someone who took a shower and changed his mind halfway.

“Oh god, sir, I’m so sorry. It was an accident! Here, let me help.” Win immediately took out the rag he had on his server belt and began dabbing at the guy’s chest. The guy grabbed his wrist within seconds.

“What do you think you’re doing?” He asked lowly, expression blank though his dark eyes were sharp in a way that spelled trouble. Win gulped, before glancing at the hand still wrapped around his wrist. His hold was tight but it wasn’t painful.

“I- I’m helping you dry off? I’m sorry sir, it really was just an accident.”

The guy narrowed his eyes at him before roughly letting his wrist go. “An accident, huh? Aren’t you a waiter? Shouldn’t you be trained not to do this?” His tone was condescending which sent a pang of bitterness in Win’s heart. Which part of “it was just an accident” did this asshole not understand?

“Bright, that’s enough. Let him go.” One of the other guys in the table spoke up, while the other held him back by the arm. The dude- Bright- Win assumed was his name, shook them off stubbornly.

“No. You know what, you want me to forgive you?”

Win didn’t appreciate the tone but he saw the club’s manager lurking in the back, watching them. If the manager got involved, he could potentially lose his job. 

Fuck, the customer is always right. The customer is _always_ right, Win reminded himself. He returned his gaze to Bright and gave a reluctant nod.

“Good. We can only resolve this by being even.” 

And then he turned around, took a bottle of beer, and held it upside down above his head. Everyone watched in abject horror as Win felt the stickiness of the beer slide down his hair and the side of his face. His shirt stuck to his body in a mixture of sweat and lukewarm beer.

“There. Let’s go.”

After emptying the contents of the bottle he left it on the table and brushed past Win. For a few awful seconds, no one said anything, all in a state of shock at what had happened. The party went on in the background mockingly, as if everyone was dancing to the tune of Win’s humiliation and misery.

One of Bright’s friends snapped out of it and went after him, mumbling half-assed apologies his way. “Dude, I’m so sorry.”

The other one looked genuinely sorry, staring after his friend in disappointment before looking at him again. Win looked away, the pitying gaze was just too much. He dragged his hand over his face and hair and sighed. Another day, another asshole in this godforsaken job.

He was about to walk away and save whatever dignity he had left when the friend held him lightly by the arm. He was about to protest but the exchange was fast.

“On behalf of my friend, I’m sorry. Here, for the trouble.” He slid a really thick wad of cash on the pocket of his wet polo, patted his shoulder, and walked away.

Win’s hands balled into fists as he walked angrily towards the staff area. He had had his fill of spoiled rich college assholes for one night. As soon as he got in he punched the wall and yelled as loud as he could without alerting anyone.

“Fucking assholes, fucking rich kids. I fucking hate all of them.” He grumbled, fists still pounding on the cold concrete of the staff room. He leaned his forehead on the wall in an attempt to calm himself down. He still had an hour on his shift, for fucks sake. He couldn’t serve anyone properly if he was still seething.

With his head leaned on the wall, he saw the thick wad of cash peeking out of his shirt pocket. The wad of cash taunted him as if saying, this is how much your dignity is worth. It only made him angrier. He reached for the cash and was tempted to throw it away, until he remembered the only good thing about this shitty job was the huge tips he occasionally got. It got him through school and put food on the table. With a sigh, he slipped the cash back in his pocket.

After some time, someone entered the staff room. He still wasn’t in the mood to talk, but he had a shift to cover. He turned, getting ready to apologize for being MIA, when his eyes met that of the manager. Win immediately felt goosebumps prickle the back of his neck.

“Sir, I--”

His manager held up a hand and nodded. “You can go.”

Win’s eyes widened in alarm. Was his boss firing him? Possibly sensing the distress in his face, the boss shook his head with a small smile. “I mean, you’re good to go for the night. Go on before I change my mind, Metawin.”

A sense of relief immediately washed over him. He could feel his eyes water for the briefest of seconds. “Thank you, Sir.”

His boss chuckled and threw a clean towel at him. He caught it and smiled. “I told you, just P’Off is fine. Take care on your way out.”

Then his boss walked out, leaving him to sag against the wall. He slowly let himself slide down and sat on the cold tiled floors. It really had been a long night.

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


“Why didn’t you punch him in the face? What good are your muay thai lessons if you’re not going to use them?” One of his friends, Frank, mused out loud during lunch. He told them about the beer incident and understandably, they were livid.

Win snorted and picked a fry off of his plate. “And what? Get myself fired or worse, arrested? That dude wasn’t worth risking unemployment or jail time for.” He shrugged and took a sip of his Blue Hawaii.

Frank turned to look at their other friend Drake incredulously. Drake pursed his lips then looked at him. They were both staring at him in silence, making him choke on his drink. He coughed for a few seconds before calming down.

“Seriously guys, I’m fine. As long as I don’t see him again in that goddamn bar, I’ll be okay. And if I do, I’ll be sure to kick him out. I’ve made friends with the bouncers so that won’t be a problem.”

His friends looked at each other again before sighing. He knew they probably thought he was a pushover for not retaliating but the truth is, they just don’t understand his situation. You can’t just go around punching people, even if they deserve it. Plus, he was at his workplace. Starting a fight would not only be unprofessional, but it could have legal implications for his boss as well. It just wasn’t worth all that trouble.

Win sighed and took another sip of his drink. He had more important things to worry about, like his classes. He was a junior now and the study load for Political Science students tripled. If he wanted to graduate at all, he needed to focus.

Frank and Drake continued to chat in the background as his thoughts flew to the major subject he had this afternoon. Even though it was just the first day, PolSci Professors were notorious for overloading their students with homework and advanced readings. It didn’t matter if it was the first or last day of the semester. The assignments were the same.

Win sipped on his drink faster, brows furrowed in worry. He just hoped his classes would be kind to him this sem. Last sem was absolutely painful. In one of his subjects, he was grouped with useless classmates who didn’t know what they were doing. He had to do everything himself.

Win could only hope for better classmates this time around.

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


He walked to his first major subject of the day with a skip in his steps. He had high hopes this sem. Surely, after everything he has been through, today would be better. Right?

Wrong. He was terribly, _terribly_ , mistaken.

As soon as Win entered the room, he saw the person he never wished to see anymore sitting in his favorite spot by the window. 

“Oh, fuck.”

Win closed his eyes and collected himself. No sense in making a scene now. He exhaled and made his way to the chair farthest from the asshole sitting in his old seat. Even now he was causing him trouble. How fitting.

What was he even doing here? Win has never seen him, not even once in the two years he had studied in the university. He was sure they weren’t blockmates either, because Win was their freshman block’s representative and he knew everyone under the PolSci department. There has got to be some kind of mistake.

Or the universe was just playing a really cruel trick on him by allowing that punk to transfer to his department. As if he hasn’t already suffered enough. His thoughts were only derailed when someone called out his name. 

“Hey, Win!” 

He turned and saw Love, one of his blockmates. He immediately felt some of the stress leave his body. Love was always nice to have around since she was nice and cheerful. A welcome reprieve in the stress that was their major.

“Hey, Love. How was your break?”

Love brushed her hair back and smiled. “It was okay, I spent most of it catching up on sleep. How was yours?”

Win chuckled. “God, I wish I could say the same. I spent most of mine working.”

Love frowned and reached out to pat his arm lightly. “Aw, Win. If you need help with anything at all, tell me. I’ll try my best to help.”

Win smiled at her and nodded. She really was too good for her own good. “I will, Love. Thanks.”

Their Professor got in not long after that, addressing the class and going straight to business. He spent the next hour and a half listening to him drone about legal procedure and how their lessons were going to be paced. It was manageable, with three exams and several recitations. He was glad this class was relatively easy; but that’s just one major out of the six he had this sem. Win would take what he could get though, because an easy class was a rarity in his majors. 

His mood has drastically improved as the class neared its end. He even forgot all about the asshole he was sharing this class with. However, Fate just wasn’t on his side when the Professor announced one last thing. Paired digests.

For the majority of the sem, he was supposed to digest cases with a buddy in class. The PolSci faculty did this to prepare their students for all of the case digests they would be doing in law school. Win used to be thankful for this arrangement because it cut his work load in half. Now, however, not so much.

The Professor shuffled his index cards around and began slowly pairing his classmates off one by one. He wished so hard that he would be paired with literally anyone but that asshole. He wouldn’t even mind if he was paired with a slacker. But no, Fate wasn’t having any of that.

Win’s world tilted on its axis when he heard the Professor call out his name. 

“Win Metawin, your case digest partner is … Bright Vachirawit.”

Slowly, he turned to stare at the guy he hated from across the room. He looked just as surprised as he was.

“...Fuck.”

As soon as the Professor dismissed them, Win packed his things up at lightning speed. It was useless though, because someone was already towering over him before he could even stand.

“I would have never expected a waiter like you to be studying Political Science at such a prestigious university,” was the first sentence out of Bright’s mouth since their unfortunate encounter two nights ago.

Win closed his eyes and bit on his lower lip. There were so many things wrong with what he just said, he couldn’t even _begin_ where to feel offended. _What an asshole._ He stood up and slung his backpack over one arm. He stared at Bright, pleased to note that he had a few centimeters on him.

“For someone studying the law and how it governs others, you sure are stuck up.”

Then he walked past him, not even subtle about shoulder-checking him out of the way.

Win had a smug smile on his face as he walked to his next class. It felt good to stand up for himself. He hummed all the way to the auditorium where International Relations was held. He entered the hall and smiled at the familiar faces he saw, feeling relieved when he saw Love was there as well.

“Win, over here!” She waved him over and he was happy to oblige. In big classes like this, it was better if he was seated next to someone he knew. IR courses were known for huge group activities and court roleplay. If he were grouped with other years and students from other majors, it would be difficult to coordinate everybody’s schedule. He learned that the hard way from the previous sem.

He sat down next to Love and waved at the guy next to her, also a PolSci major like him but from a different block. “Hey, Ssing.”

“Ssup.”

“So, are you ready to reenact court sessions again?” Win asked them with a laugh, wiggling his eyebrows playfully. Ssing rolled his eyes while Love chuckled.

“Not really. Last semester sucked big time. I’m still mad at the one guy who forgot all of his lines. If I see that fucker in this class, I swear to god…” Ssing looked around as he said that, squinting into the crowd with his fist raised.

Win laughed out loud, slapping the arm of his chair as he watched his friend. Working with students they didn’t know was hard. Win just hopes sitting close to one another like this would give them a better chance at being grouped together.

As the time grew closer for the class to start, the auditorium filled with students from every year and every major. International Relations was one of the subjects in their department that other students could take as an elective, so it was always so diverse. It had students of every kind too, from the studious ones to the lazy ones. Although Win disliked performing in front of a crowd, he liked this subject enough to enjoy the lessons.

Win, Love, and Ssing sat at the left side of the auditorium, which meant less people walked up and down the aisle as compared to those who chose the middle seats. He smiled to himself, excited for the class to start as he saw the Professor walk in with a microphone in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. He had a good feeling about this.

The class passed by in a breeze. They had a reading assignment but that was it, no papers yet or anything. Win breathed a sigh of relief. He had one last class before he was free for the day. If he was lucky, he’d have a good three hours all to himself before he had to work at the bar.

As soon as the class ended, Win gathered his things and prepared to leave. He had a 30 minute window before his next class, so he was thinking of dropping by the cafeteria for a snack. Love and Ssing followed behind him, though they were going to the library instead.

When they were nearing the exit, Win casually turned to his right and saw Bright staring at him. He fought off the jolt of surprise he felt at seeing him in another one of his classes. _Damn it,_ he thoughts. _I can’t catch a fucking break._

He quickly looked away and ignored him, walking a little faster than his friends.

“Wait, Win!” Love called out, panting a little. “Who was that?”

Win frowned and slowed his steps as he turned to her. “Who was who?”

She gestured vaguely behind them. “The guy who was glaring at you.” 

Win scowled, exhaling loudly through his nose. “Oh, that. Don’t mind him, I don’t know him either.”

Ssing adjusted the strap of his backpack and eyed him. “You don’t sound very believable.”

“Is he new?”

Win reached up to run his fingers through his hair and lifted a shoulder lazily. “Like I said, I don’t know. I’ve never seen him here before.”

Love and Ssing caught up to him, so they resumed walking. “Then why was he glaring at you?”

“I honestly don’t know. Maybe he wasn’t glaring at me but at someone else? Let’s just drop it, I don’t know him any more than you guys do.”

On his periphery, he saw Love and Ssing exchange glances but said nothing of it. They separated once they stepped out of the building, going in separate directions. Win was still intent on getting something to eat before his next class. He had arnis, so he had to get some energy in him.

The cafeteria was still buzzing with students when he entered. It was the first day, so everyone had the time to chill in the cafeteria instead of breaking down somewhere to study. Students were also sitting in huge groups, so he assumed some of them hadn’t seen each other since the break. He smiled and thought of his own group of friends, having half a mind to text them to meet up after class when he felt someone behind him.

It was Bright. His mood immediately dropped. Win moved away, deciding to look at other concession stalls far, far away from that jerk. He saw a slice of banana bread and instantly felt his stomach grumble. He licked his lower lip before smiling at the lady selling them.

“Hi, two of those please.” Win mentally did the math of how much it would cost and how much he had left for the week. He was about to pay when someone beat him to it.

“I’ll pay for those.” Win caught sight of a shiny black card before turning to the one who owned it. Again, for the nth time that day, it was bright.

Win could feel the anger rising up his throat. “What the hell is your problem?”

Bright took his card back and tried to hand him the paper bag filled with his banana bread. He didn’t take it.

Bright sighed and dropped his hand. “Do you not want this?”

Win’s brows furrowed in annoyance. Was this dude for real? “Are you deaf? I asked you what your problem is. You’ve been following me, glaring at me, and now you want my food? What the fuck?”

“Um, ehem.” The lady in front of them cleared her throat, reminding them that they were still standing in front of her stall.

Win grinned at her apologetically before walking away, not even sparing Bright another look.

“Okay, look. I think we got off on the wrong foot here.” Bright grabbed his wrist, but it only infuriated Win more because he was reminded of that night at the bar. He pulled his hand off harshly. 

He whirled around in anger, hands balled into fists at his sides. “Got off on the wrong foot? You call throwing beer on someone, humiliating them in front of everyone, _getting off on the wrong foot??_ ”

Bright didn’t even look sorry. He shrugged, one hand in his pocket as he stared back at him. “You spilled a drink on me first.”

Win couldn’t believe his ears. Was he talking to a child? “Which part of ‘it was an accident’ did you not understand?”

Bright brushed him off. “All right, fine. Let’s say it really was an accident. Then I’m sorry, accept my apology.” He tried handing him the banana bread again.

Win was getting real tired of his bullshit. This dude was insincere in every fucking way, he wasn’t even worth getting mad over. He couldn’t even apologize properly. “You know what, Vachirawit, take that banana bread and shove it up your ass.” He then turned and walked away, appetite lost, food be damned. 

Bright didn’t try to chase after him, so he walked to the university gym without any disturbance. He entered the arnis practice room and saw that the instructor wasn’t in yet, so he had a few minutes to compose himself. 

Win looked around and noticed that none of his classmates were familiar. With how they were mostly all clumped together, however, it was obvious that they were a freshmen block. Other loners like himself were probably higher years who just needed a P.E. requirement to pass the sem. He sighed at the realization that he knew no one. Well, his mind supplied, at least this was better than having Bright as a classmate. 

But of course he couldn’t have even that. He heard the whispers before looking up and confirming his worst fears. “Come on!”

Freshman classes were the worst. They were impressionable and gossiped about everyone outside of their block. Unfortunately for him, it seems like this block was already interested in Bright. Win groaned and took out his class schedule. What if he just switched to a different class…

“Hey.”

Win exhaled loudly and turned to Bright. Time to get this over with. “Do we share all the same classes?”

Bright looked genuinely surprised that Win was talking to him civilly. He scrambled to take his class schedule out and Win snatched it from his hand. “Uh, here.”

Win squinted at both of their class schedules and saw a glimpse of Bright’s student standing. He was a junior like him, a transferee like he guessed from the start, and yes, they were sharing five out of the seven classes Win had this semester.

“Ah, shit.” Win handed back his class schedule and clutched his head. It seemed pointless to avoid Bright during their shared classes now. It was just his luck that he had to share classes with the one person he hated with a burning passion.

Win was seriously contemplating switching classes when the instructor came in. He looked like the kind of coach who would beat you up if you tried dropping his class. Win was doomed.

“Alright class, line up! Let’s get started.”

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


“You know, you were a lot nicer when I met you at the club.”

Win stopped in his tracks and turned to the jerk beside him. “What are you doing?”

Bright blinked at him in confusion. “Walking?”

“No! I mean this,” he gestured vaguely between them. “Do you think we’re friends just because we share a few classes?”

Win saw the tip of Bright’s ears redden as he took a step back. “I didn’t say we were friends!”

“Then why are you talking to me?”

“I’m just trying to make conversation…”

Win clenched his jaw and exhaled. “Don’t. We will never, ever be friends. The shit you pulled at the club was easily the worst thing that has ever happened to me. Now leave me the fuck alone.” He quickly began walking away, leaving Bright behind for the nth time that day.

“Didn’t my friend pay you? For the trouble? He told me.” 

Win turned back around and angrily pulled out his wallet. This asshole just didn’t know when to shut up. “You rich boys think everything can be solved with money. But you’re wrong. Here, take it back. I don’t want your dirty money.” Win took out the wad of cash that he kept separate from all his other bills. He knew this would happen one day and he was right. He slapped the bills against Bright’s chest.

“Now I owe you absolutely nothing. Leave. Me. Alone.”

  
  
  


* * *

  
  


It has been a week since the confrontation in front of the university gym. A whole week since Bright spoke to him too, because after that he left him alone like he asked. Win finally felt peace. He didn’t even care that he shared most of his classes with Bright. It was like the jerk just blended into the background and disappeared. Good riddance.

All was going well for him until his Professor in Legal Procedure gave them their first case digest for the semester. Immediately, he felt his blood run cold. That meant working with _him_. For the first time in a week, he glanced in Bright’s direction. The other was already looking at him, expression schooled into something he couldn’t identify. He squinted at him in suspicion before looking away. He’d talk to him after class.

Win gathered his things and walked to where Bright was seated. Girls were gathered around him in a circle, talking, trying to get his attention. They were still in the classroom, for fucks sake. Not wanting to waste time by waiting for them to finish talking, Win called out to him.

“Bright, about the case digest.”

Bright immediately turned to look at him. The smile he had on his face slowly morphed into a neutral expression. 

“Right. I’ll talk to you guys later.” The girls looked a little put off but they eventually scattered, leaving him and Bright alone. Win pulled up a chair to sit on before setting the printout of the case down on Bright’s table.

“To get this over with, let’s just do half of the work. You work on the first part of the case and I’ll work on the other half.” Win flipped through the pages and squinted at its contents. It was a relatively easy case to digest, so he wasn’t too worried about him and Bright doing their parts separately. He didn’t get a response from Bright so he looked up, only to find the latter already staring at him.

Because of the intensity of his gaze, he felt a little self-conscious. “What? Is there something on my face?”

Bright shook his head but continued openly staring at him. “Nothing. It’s just… you really don’t want to work on this together, huh?”

“Ha? What are you talking about? I literally just told you what needs to be done?”

Bright exhaled and ran his fingers through his hair. “No, like together. You’d rather do this separately and risk us having varying interpretations of the case than work on it together. Like the Professor wanted.”

Win clenched his jaw and stared at him. Bright was right about his assumptions, but he also brought up a great point. The varying interpretations _could_ affect their overall score…

Bright was looking at him with wide, hopeful eyes. Win has never noticed before, but Bright actually looks...attractive. He had the kind of face that people wrote songs about. With big, expressive eyes, pouty lips, and a pointy nose, it was no wonder all those girls were flocking around him. Maybe, maybe if they met under different circumstances, Win could appreciate how nice he looked. Now, however, he just felt his blood boil.

Bright could probably sense he was about to say no so he pushed out his lower lip in a devastating pout.

“... Are you pouting?”

Bright had the gall to laugh. “If I say yes, would you let us work on this digest _together?”_

Win leaned forward and shook the papers in front of his face. “Those two things aren’t mutually exclusive.”

“But you’ll let us work on this together, right? Right?” Bright argued back persistently. He leaned in and pushed out his lower lip again, eyes wide and earnest as he looked at him.

Against his better judgment, Win could feel his resolve crumbling. Damn him and his kicked-puppy features. “Fine. But this still doesn’t mean we’re friends.”

Bright, the smug bastard, only smirked at him with his hands raised in surrender. “I didn’t say anything.”

Win huffed in exasperation. Why does it feel like he lost the moment he agreed to work on the digest with Bright?

“If you say or do anything to piss me off, the deal is over. We’ll do it my way or nothing at all. Understood?”

Bright frowned. He looked like he wanted to say something but changed his mind at the last second. He nodded at him half-heartedly.

“Good.” Win got up and gathered his things. Bright watched him silently.

“I’ll see you after class in the Law library,” Win said before turning to leave. Bright immediately stood up to follow after him.

“Hey! Why are you talking like we don’t have the same class? Don’t you want to walk there together?”

Win didn’t stop walking. “What is it with you and doing things together? We’re not friends.”

“We don’t have to be friends to walk together to a class that we’re both in.”

Win’s right eyebrow ticked in irritation. He chose not to answer him and walked faster. Bright caught up with his long strides with no trouble at all. Damn him and his equally long legs.

The university gym was already in sight but Bright was still walking next to him. Win remembered the girls in his previous class and the freshmen they were going to face now. “Seriously, Bright. Stop it.”

“What? I’m just walking. It’s just that we’re going in the same direction and you can’t do anything about it.” Bright smirked at him knowingly. Win bit his lower lip and glanced at his watch. He couldn’t afford to slow down his strides or he would be late. Bright was matching his pace on purpose.

Win groaned and accepted his fate. After a week of peace, Bright was back to annoy him. They were walking to class together, for fucks sake. He moved away in annoyance. Bright noticed but his smirk just widened. Bastard.

As he expected, the freshmen were both staring at them when they walked in. He flashed them a reluctant smile before walking to his usual place at the back of the room. Bright, of course, followed him.

“Dude, seriously. Stop following me,” Win whispered to him heatedly before sitting cross legged on the rubber mat. 

Bright leaned in and whispered back. “I’m not following you.”

Win gave him the stink eye. “Then why are you here? This isn’t your usual place.”

Bright didn’t respond so Win turned to look at him in confusion. “So you know where I’m usually seated? Have you been watching me, waiter?”

All the playful camaraderie they’ve built came tumbling down. Win glared at him. “I have a name, you asshole.”

Before Bright could get a word in, the instructor’s voice cut him off.

“Everyone, grab an arnis stick and a partner. Let’s try sparring today. Don’t forget to apply everything you’ve learned about stance and the different positions.”

Win met Bright’s eyes and he smirked. He had an idea. He picked up a pair of arnis sticks and threw the other one to Bright.

“You, me, spar.”

Bright’s eyes widened in realization. “Oh, no. No. Pass.”

It was Win’s turn to smirk. He held the stick up and twirled it around smugly. “Why, are you scared? Rich boy can’t handle a little sparring session?”

Bright stared at him incredulously before laughing. “Oh, you’re on.” Win saw the determination in his eyes. Good, he thought. He would love to see the light in his eyes die out.

“Places, everyone! Remember to start slow before doing the positions I taught you.”

Win and Bright both got into position. They stared at one another, determined to win the sparring match no matter what. 

“I’ll go easy on you,” Bright mock whispered. Win smiled knowingly. 

“By all means... give it your best shot.”

“Ready. And, bow!” Their instructor bellowed, prompting them to bow and officially start the match. As soon as Bright looked up from the deep bow they both did, Win striked forward and barely hit him on the side of the head.

Bright’s eyes widened. “Hey! Is that allowed?”

Win flashed him a wide grin. He raised the stick above his head and struck down. Bright successfully countered his attack with the stick, resulting in a sharp crack of wood against wood. Their eyes met and Win mouthed something to provoke Bright even more.

_Is that all you got?_

Bright’s eyes narrowed as he pulled his stick back and straightened up. He mouthed something back to him. 

_You’re on, waiter._

Win grinned and attacked again, eager to defeat Bright at his own game. He struck down fast, switching from one side to another, and didn’t wait for Bright to catch up. The sound of their sticks meeting smacked sharply in the air, loud and fast as they fought. 

Bright was good, Win can admit that, but what good was blocking if he couldn’t attack? Win stepped forward and Bright took a step back as he struck him on the arm. The latter couldn’t block his attack in time and got hit near the shoulder.

“Ow!” Bright yelped in pain. This only fueled Win’s drive to win.

Win struck again, twice in quick succession, and Bright had to block one hit with the arm he was using to hold the stick. Bright was already panting while he was barely breaking a sweat. He raised an eyebrow at him teasingly.

“Last minute!” Their instructor reminded them.

Win remembered the night Bright humiliated him in front of everyone and found the strength to do what he should have done a long time ago. Twisting around, Win swung his arnis forward and hit Bright on the arm and the on the side of his thigh. Now that he was picking up the speed, Bright was barely able to block his attacks. 

With less than a few seconds left on their match, Win swung side to side until Bright’s grip on the stick loosened. They were both breathing heavily at this point but no one wanted to back down. Win swung his arnis, hard, and knocked the stick out of Bright’s hand. He then stepped back and kicked high so the tip of his sneakers stopped just a few inches shy of Bright’s chest. Bright gasped and stared at him with wide eyes.

They were in this position when their instructor called time out. There was silence as the whole class stood still to watch the two of them. Bright never broke eye contact with him so Win was able to see every single emotion cross his face. From shock to wonder to fear and back again, he saw them all.

“Metawin!” His instructor called out, prompting him to drop his leg and break eye contact. “Yeah, coach?”

“Where did you learn all that? Are you a professional arnis player?”

Win smiled. It was always nice when people appreciated his athletic capabilities. “No sir, but I did arnis for a month before switching to muay thai.”

Half the class gasped in awe. Win felt his smile widen some more. He wasn’t looking at him but he could feel Bright glaring in his direction.

The arnis instructor responded with a low, drawn out hum. “Mm, no wonder your moves looked professional. Next time, take it easy on Vachirawit, okay? Most of you here haven’t had formal training.”

“Of course, sir. I’ll hold back on the next sparring session.”

“Alright class, do your warm ups and then wrap it up! See all of you in the next meeting.”

Win turned to Bright who had his arms crossed over his chest. He didn’t look happy.

“So, professional athlete, huh.”

Win looked away and turned to pick Bright’s stick up from the floor. He couldn’t even hide the smile on his face, still floating on the adrenaline rush his little victory brought him. “I’m not… but at least you know why I’m called Win now.”

Bright snorted and rolled his eyes. “Well, you might as well be an athlete. I don’t even know taekwondo,” He mumbled to himself before stretching his arms and legs. He turned away from Win as he reached for his toes.

Win stored their arnis sticks away before stretching his arms as well. “Are you sulking?”

“No.”

“Oh my god, you are. Don’t tell me you’re upset that I won?”

“I’m not.”

“ _Bright.”_

“I’m not! I’m not upset. This is good, actually.”

Win stretched his legs and groaned at the satisfying crunch his joints gave him. “Good? What do you mean?”

And then Bright was all up in his space, making him fall back on his ass in surprise. He was smiling, the edge of his lips curled up in a playful smirk. Then he moved even closer, making Win flinch and turn his face away.

Win felt Bright’s hot breath as he whispered against his ear. “It means we’re even, _waiter_.”

Win huffed and pushed him away harshly. The tips of his ears felt warm from having Bright so close to him, but those feelings were largely overpowered by annoyance. “Bright, seriously. I have a name. I don’t know if I should punch you or yell at you every time you call me that. I already don’t like you. Why are you trying to make me dislike you even more?”

Bright had the balls to pout at him again. “You don’t like me?”

Win grabbed a hand towel from his bag and wiped the sweat off of his face. He turned to face Bright with his arms crossed against his chest. “That was all you got from that? Really?” He deadpanned before shaking his head.

“I don’t know why you conveniently keep forgetting the first day we met. You were, and still are, an asshole, Bright. You haven’t done a single thing to change my opinion of you. So yes, I actually don’t like you.”

Win flashed him a sarcastic smile before reaching for his bag and leaving the room. Some of his classmates attempted to stop him on his way out for a little chat but he politely declined them all. He was sticky and sweaty and not in the mood for socialization.

With a sigh, Win took out his phone and began scrolling. He had to stop by the cafeteria for some water before heading on to the nearest bathroom to change his shirt. He still had to work on the cases with Bright, so even if all he wanted to do right now was go home and take a shower, he couldn’t.

Win felt anger simmer in the pit of his stomach again. Every inconvenience he has experienced thus far was all related to Bright. He was getting real sick of that rich boy. Nothing good ever came out of associating with him. 

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Already changed and hydrated, Win waited for Bright in the library. He took out the cases they needed to work on and began reading. After a while, a shadow loomed over him. Win didn’t move from where he was lazily seated against the chair, though his eyes flicked up to greet the newcomer.

“Took you long enough. Let’s get started.”

Win took a copy of the case he had made for Bright and slid it over to his side of the table. “Here, I took the liberty of making a copy for you. All you need to do is read this and tell me what you think about the case and the verdict. I already did mine a while ago and wrote it down as an outline. We can compare our answers and then write the digest from there.”

Win sat up straight and got back to reading the case when he noticed Bright was still hovering over the table. He exhaled through his nose and flicked his eyes upwards to stare at Bright. 

“Now what?”

Bright licked his lower lip before clearing his throat. He stared back at him resolutely, wondering what the hell this asshole was up to _again._

“ _Win,”_ he murmured softly, because he couldn’t really talk any louder than that. “Before anything else, I’d like to apologize. For everything.”

Win laced his fingers on top of the table and continued to stare at Bright in a mixture of shock and awe. “Really now. Go on, what else?”

“Ha? What do you mean what else?” Bright pulled out a chair and sat down in front of him, brows furrowed. “I’m apologizing. What else is there to it?”

Win clenched his jaw before drumming his fingers gently on the table. “Alright, but do you know why you’re apologizing?”

Bright pulled out his notebook and shrugged. “Because I hurt your feelings?”

Win groaned as he covered his face with both of his hands before running them repeatedly through his hair. “Bright. Normally, I sugarcoat what I tell others, but I think you deserve to hear this at least once. So, listen carefully.”

Win leaned over and urged Bright to move closer to him as well. Instantly, Bright’s expensive perfume reached his nostrils. He smelled like vanilla citrus. Ignoring the strong urge to sniff him, Win reached out to him instead and gently squeezed Bright’s shoulder. 

“Everything you say is insensitive. You’re a rich kid, so you come from a place of privilege. You don’t understand what could be seen as offensive and what is excusable. But more than that, sometimes you’re really just an asshole.” Win squeezed his shoulder again before pulling away.

“I’m sorry if that was too much, but that’s the reality you need to face.”

Bright moved back as well, expression neutral as he slumped in his seat. He remained quiet for what felt like hours.

Win was itching to say something, nudge him, maybe even take back what he said--anything to clear the awkward silence that enveloped them. The library was already a pretty quiet place but this was worse. It was too quiet that it became deafening. Win looked around him worriedly.

“Bright-”

“It’s not like I want to be an asshole on purpose, Win.” 

Win stared at Bright’s crestfallen expression, making him ball one of his hands on the table into a fist to stop himself from reaching out to hold his hand or comfort him. Now was not the time to baby his feelings.

“Just because it wasn’t in your intention to hurt anyone doesn’t erase the fact that they were. They were still hurt, they were still affected by the decision you made. You have to accept that reality and start taking responsibility for everything you do.”

Win sighed, giving up on restraint as he reached over and covered Bright’s shaking fist with his. He gave it a small, reassuring squeeze. “You’re an adult, Bright. Own up to the shit you did and accept the fact that your actions have real consequences. Maybe then you’ll be more careful of what you say and what you do to others.”

Win watched his reaction closely but Bright kept his head down, hiding his emotions from view. However, he did see him wet his lower lip and breathe out a shaky breath, releasing all the pent up tension in his body. Satisfied with the reaction he got, Win was about to pull his hand away when Bright flipped his palm over and held his hand. It was a tender touch but it was so, so warm. Win felt his face heat up quickly at the small display of affection.

Even so, Win didn’t have it in him to pull his hand away. Instead, he held on, squeezing the tips of Bright’s fingers ever so tenderly.

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


After their little talk in the library, there had been a very obvious shift in the way they treated each other. Win couldn’t tell what it was, but he definitely felt less-inclined to want to beat Bright’s ass in arnis. He might even say he hated him less now, if he still hated him at all, but he would never in a million years admit to that.

It’s been several weeks since that fateful day. Now, he and Bright were back in the library working on another case. They were working quietly, each with their nose buried deep in their readings. However, hidden from prying eyes, their ankles were linked under the table. 

_Oh, fuck._

Win had such a strong epiphany that he had to clutch at the edge of the table for support. Bright saw the action and looked over him in concern. He had his reading glasses on which made him look younger than he really was.

“You okay?”

Win swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. “Y-yeah, I’m fine. But just… are we _friends_ now?”

Bright straightened up in his seat and looked at him like he suddenly sprouted three heads. “I don’t know Win, what do you think?” He answered calmly, one eyebrow raised in a challenge.

“I-I don’t know? We’re just case study buddies?”

Bright pursed his lips before placing his palm on the table. He ticked off the activities they did together on each finger. “Well, one, we share a lot of classes...so we’re always together. Two, we’re in a lot of the same group activities. Three, we eat dinner together almost every day. Four, you have been to my house and rode in my car at least once. Five, you smile a lot more genuinely to me now than you have in our first week of classes. So, you tell me. Are we seriously still _not_ friends?”

Win opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water. He didn’t know what to say. Were they really that close now without him noticing? He was acutely aware of Bright’s ankle still linked with his, making his heart beat abnormally fast. He clutched at his chest and stared at Bright in alarm.

What was going on?

Bright chuckled knowingly at the dilemma going on inside of him. He shut his notebook and set it on the table before looking at him apologetically. “You look like you need to process this. I’m going to the cafeteria to leave you alone to your thoughts for a while. Do you want anything?”

Win watched him stand and immediately mourned the loss of Bright’s warmth against his leg. Nevertheless, he nodded at him lightly. “Some banana bread would be nice.”

“Gotcha.” Bright winked at him. “Oh, and can you do me a favor and rewrite the short paragraph I wrote on our digest? I don’t like how it turned out at all. Thanks,” He smiled down at him and reached out to pet the back of his head gently before leaving. 

Win watched him go with the same dumbfounded expression he had since he realized how seamlessly Bright entered his life. They were friends now, for fucks sake. Where has the time gone?

Not wanting to think more of it, Win flipped Bright’s notebook over to work on rewriting his paragraph. He squinted at his notes for anything he might have gotten wrong and came up with none. He was about to give up when he saw writing scribbled near the edge of the page like an afterthought.

Win shook his head and smiled.

> _Win, will you go on a date with me?_
> 
> _Yes, I'm serious._
> 
> _-Bright >:p_

_Fin._

**Author's Note:**

> So...tada! Finally posting this BrightWin fic I was commissioned to write for Silakbo a month ago :) The requester gave me the go-signal to share it with everyone, so here it is. Fair warning though, I know towards the end it felt a little rushed and that we all want lovey-dovey scenes with BrightWin-- but sadly, I ran out of time. I was supposed to write a second part to this but didn't have the time... so for now, this will be marked as completed. Who knows, I might just write a sequel in the first quarter of next year :) Hehe.
> 
> If you liked it, pls let me know in the comments below! Kudos are also appreciated. If y'all want to yell at me, I am on twitter as @exostedd. Happy New Year, brightwins!


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